Trump wades into California water wars, calls for diverting water to farmers in central valley

President Donald Trump is wading into California's water wars, demanding speedy action by the federal government to divert much-needed water resources to Republican-leaning farmers in California's central valley — a move sure to infuriate left-leaning environmentalists on the west coast.

“This is a vital action ... to improve access to water in the American West,” President Trump said, signing the memorandum. “They've taken it away, they have so much water and they don't know what to do with it and they send it out to sea.”

Republicans quickly responded, calling the decision a clear win for communities in the West.

Environmentalists argue that diverting water to farmers will decimate endangered Delta smelt and Chinook Salmon. The president’s action today will speed up the environmental review and approval process needed to create the infrastructure needed to divert the water.

Earlier this year, as 17 fires ravaged California, Trump falsely claimed that the state government was mismanaging water supplies that should be available to fight the infernos, even though firefighters there said access to water was not a problem.

Environmentalists feared at the time that the president was using the wildfires as a smokescreen for wading into a deeply controversial fight between farmers and conservationists.

The memo Trump signed Friday calls on the Interior Department and Commerce Department to speed up infrastructure projects, including water desalination and recycling, and clarify how to manage water while continuing to follow environmental laws and the Endangered Species Act.

“The big problem was the federal approvals that were un-gettable and now they are very gettable and we're going to have them in a very short period of time,” Trump said.

“This will move things along at a record clip, and you have a lot of water, I hope you enjoy the water that you're going to have ... great for the farmers, great for the people, great for recreation,” Trump said.

The president’s action today is sure to anger the local authorities in California, who will see this as federal overreach, but it's also sure to please his political allies in the state with midterms just two-and-a-half weeks away.

Trump seems hell bent on having the federal government take over states' rights. The Department of the Interior is a key figure in this 'takeover'. National monuments are being opened up for mining, drilling and logging. The BLM, part of Interior, has deemed the wild horses as destructive on federal lands though their numbers pale in comparison to the cattle and sheep grazing on fed land. Our coastlines may be opened up for oil drilling, a hot issue in Virginia, where residents adamantly disapprove. Yet Trump claims he knows more about these subjects than anyone... just like he knows more about economics, military logistics, medical care, climate change and veteran issues. He just doesn't have a clue on morals.

California agriculture already uses something like 80% of the water. The water that Trump claims they are dumping into the sea is run off water from the rain. Someone proposed capturing that run off but a system has not been developed yet. Trump is misinformed and uninformed.

Trump knows not what he is getting into! The California water wars are 100 years plus and running still. Check out a book called "The King of California" and it gives you insight into the California water wars that are still going on. Current California governor's dad Pat Brown was smack in the middle of it and so was current governor of California Jerry Brown in is first time as governor. Vicious stuff.

Just more of Dimwit Donny getting involved in something he knows nothing about as usual, he doesn’t read, doesn’t listen only uses his reptilian brain (size of a pea....maybe) to make decisions.....common descriptive word....IDIOT.

It amazes me that in a state with water issues almonds are one of the biggest crops considering it takes so much water to grow them :( The words in the song The Last Resort by the eagles spring to mind.... "call someplace paradise kiss it goodbye....."

“This will move things along at a record clip, and you have a lot of water, I hope you enjoy the water that you're going to have ... great for the farmers, great for the people, great for recreation,” Trump said.

Really bad for the environment and therefore in the long run for people. With the tariffs however what are the farmers supposed to do with the extra stuff they might grow. They cannot even sell what they are producing now.

He hopes we enjoy the water that we're going to have. Huh? Is he going to make it rain, too? The West has been in a drought for quite awhile. We have trouble filling up the water storage areas we have now because we aren't getting enough rain to fill them up. Farmers are drilling deeper and deeper to find water and the ground is sinking because we have so little water. Trump just made a promise that he can't keep.